Clock problem and shutdown problem! Are they related?

Question

Having a problem with my Dual 2 GHz Power Mac G5
A few days ago I noticed that my clock was not showing in the menu bar in the upper right corner of my desktop.
I went into System Preferences and went to Date & Time. Under the clock tab “Show Date and Time in Menu Bar” the box was not checked off. I checked it off and went to the “Date and Time” tab. The date and time was correct. I then checked the box “Click the lock to prevent further changes” to lock it. The date and time did not show up in the menu bar. I then went back to the tab “Show Date and Time in Menu Bar” and the box I checked was not checked off even thought the lock was still locked.
I then moved my cursor up to the menu bar in the upper right corner to see what would happen and the spinning beach ball started up but only for the original icons such as Bluetooth, Mobile Me (which I do not use), Time Machine, Spaces (doesn’t indicated the number when I switch Spaces, etc. The icons Norton Anti Virus and Tech Tool Pro in the menu bar are okay.
Also, when I attempt to shut down my computer the system clears the icons from my desktop except for a picture I have on my desktop and I get a gray wheel spinning and the system just hangs until I press and hold the on/off switch. I don’t know if the clock and shutdown problems are related.
The only new software I loaded recently was Skype with Logitech WebCam for the Mac and Quicken 2007 (Had a problem with Quicken 2006). They both are working okay.
And ideas on why I cannot get my clock to show up and my computer to shutdown?

Answer 1

You may have to consider a new post in the Hardware forum area for the computer
model and build/year; if there is a possibility of some basis the matter could be in
the machine and not the software running within it.
Your last two/three posts are in the Leopard 10.5(.8) forum area and do indicate
some kind of problem where troubleshooting the computer to discover if the matter
at hand would be either hardware or software based, may be the way to go.
The link to the 10.6 Snow Leopard forum won't be of help if your computer is a
PPC-based G5 tower, or other older pre-Intel configuration. And I remember
your earlier questions about the iMac G4 and some other issues in the past.
You may ask the moderators to put your post in a new thread of its own, in the
Leopard 10.5 area; so as to not 'piggy-back' another topic; even though some
of the odd issues you've had seem similar to this OP's topic line and appear to
be in the same general series of hardware. {The question here seems valid.}
The routine suggestions to check, test, verify, and perhaps repair or replace
the system; save a bootable clone to suitable external standalone device if
testing a suspect computer's viability is recommended; and the basics if not
already tried to help isolate the issue(s) as you've posted elsewhere, may be
of some help to try and do; so in that matter, a new thread of your own is best
for your own directed feedback. Since this kind of advice applies to most any
situation, including troubleshooting what may be hardware or software, I'm
adding my two and three-tenths cents worth here.
Your original included Apple Hardware Test may be of some help, in the process
of elimination; but is not conclusive, so other methods would be also suggested.
Some ideas appear to cover the same ground. However, system corruption or
disc failure can also manifest itself in odd ways & affect things indirectly for a time.
• OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
• Mac OS X BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING & MAINTENANCE
http://www.gballard.net/macrant/osx_troubleshooting.html
• Troubleshooting Tips for computers:
http://www.stcdio.org/offices/cem/mediaandtechnology/cem-computer-classes/troubl eshooting.html
So, at the risk of inadvertently alienating the OP, I am posting this as
a general help to following readers at some later time; and it may not
be too simple for a refresh course.
Some software issues can be resolved by repairing disk permissions,
and re-applying the last OS X update Combo file over the same one
already in the system; or if not up-to-date already, check & repair all
the general items and then apply the last Combo update.
A too-full hard disk drive can compromise the system integrity, so that
is a matter of course to keep up on what resources exist and remain
for the OS X to function correctly and for apps to multi-task together.
However that works out...
Good luck & happy computing!